“What stopped you in your tracks so suddenly? I thought you might be on a mission to carve a path in the floor. I’ve been trying to get your attention for like five minutes as you stare into space,” Trenton went on, his face looked worried. He probably thought his brother had finally snapped. Maybe he had.
“Kinsey.” He didn’t need to say any more. His brothers had ribbed him endlessly after the wedding, then later, when he’d chased her at the Christmas party. They knew she’d made an impact on him, but since he hadn’t said anything about her in months, they’d laid off. From the look on his brother’s face, he was about to get another dose of brotherly goading.
Trenton whistled as his head turned and he took in Kinsey’s petite frame. Scrubs normally weren’t known for their sex appeal, but she looked damn good in her light green cotton pair.
With her hair pulled back in a sloppy bun and devoid of makeup, she looked like a teenager, instead of a woman, though he knew first hand she was no school girl. His groin tightened even more.
“I can’t believe there isn’t a ring on her finger. What’s the hold-up, anyway? You obviously want her, so why don’t you do something about it?”
“I’m not interested,” Austin lied.
“You going to ever tell me what happened?”
“Nothing to tell. I thought about it, but…”
“So you wouldn’t mind if I told my friend, Mick about her…”
“She’s not available,” Austin quickly interrupted.
“You sound awfully possessive for nothing going on,” Trenton accused. Austin decided the comment didn’t warrant a response. He knew his brothers well and if he gave them even an inch, they’d have him by the scruff of his neck.
For a few simple moments, the two brothers had something other than stress to focus on. Their father and uncle weren’t forgotten about, but the distraction was welcomed. It certainly saved the nursing staff from at least two of the Anderson men harassing them for an update every two minutes.
Austin’s eyes shifted back to where Kinsey was in the middle of a heated debate about something. His curiosity was peaked.
“Why don’t you go on over and play the knight in shining armor.”
“Have you ever heard of minding your own business?” Austin finally said.
“Hard to ignore a sexy brunette,” Trenton quickly replied.
“Maybe I’ll go ahead and tell Jennifer you’re ogling other women,” Austin threatened.
Trenton held his hands up in surrender. He knew when he was beaten.
“I can appreciate an attractive woman because no one comes even close to comparing to Jennifer. She’s beautiful, incredibly sexy and makes my head spin. I can’t imagine not having her in my life.”
“You’ve gone soft,” Austin mocked, but there was no heat behind his words. He loved his sister-in-law and was glad his brother had been lucky enough to find someone so special. She was a true gem. Surprisingly, all his family members had been lucky in marriage. He was the only holdout at this point. It was starting to feel a bit lonely at family gatherings as he watched his brothers and cousins finding corners to neck in. They all seemed so much happier than when they were single…
“When was your last serious relationship? You seem more of a bear than usual. Maybe if you got a girlfriend, you wouldn’t wake up all hot and bothered, taking your bad mood out on the rest of us.”
“Considering that’s none of your business, I’ll just choose to ignore your asinine comments,” Austin replied. He felt like taking Trenton’s head off, but that would only prove the man right.
He didn’t think he’d been grumpy. Maybe he did need to find a woman for a night of no-holds-bar-pleasure. The thought turned his stomach, though. His eyes automatically went back to Kinsey. It seemed she was the only one who was causing a stir in his incredibly tense body.
“Wow, that long, huh?” Trenton said with a whistle. Austin glared at him while Trenton continued. “Truth hurts, brother.”
Kinsey shifted and Austin’s stomach clenched. She ran her slender fingers across her cheek, capturing a few tendrils of escaped hair, before tucking them behind her ear. He could see her dark brown eyes glittering with agitation as she gestured to the doctor. He could just make out the sprinkling of freckles across her pale nose, the combination all adding to her unique beauty. She was stunning, which helped his desire, but certainly didn’t define it.
His eyes ran down the column of her neck, to the slight ‘V’ of her scrubs. His fingers itched as he imagined holding the weight of her perfect breasts in his hands. He knew her nipples hardened at the slightest touch.
She was so incredibly responsive.
“I need a drink,” Austin said too loudly.
Trenton looked at him, then at Kinsey, then back to him again with a knowing expression on his face.
“I don’t think they serve what you need, here. I’ll take you to the bar as soon as we get information,” Trenton promised.
“I’m fine. This has just been a stressful night,” Austin said, making himself calm down.
“So, are you going to talk to her, or are you going to torture yourself more?” Trenton asked as the two men watched the doctor walk away. Kinsey’s head was bent down, either in frustration or defeat. Austin was surprised by the surge of overprotectiveness coursing through him.
“I’m just going to find out what’s going on, not that it’s any of your business.”
“Sure…”
“Why don’t you go harass some of our other family members?” Austin snapped. He knew Trenton was trying to push his buttons. Well, congrats, he’d done it.
“Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll mind my own business. Just remember the saying about honey, vinegar and insects. Whatever mom used to say, though I still haven’t figured out why anyone would want to catch flies.”
Austin ignored him as he moved forward. It was time to talk to Kinsey. His heart rate picked up as he stepped closer. She hadn’t noticed him yet. He liked having the element of surprise on his side. She’d managed to avoid him for months. Well, she was at work now, and couldn’t run away.
How he wanted to play games with her. Very, very adult games, where they both walked away fully satisfied winners.
◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊
Kinsey allowed herself to sag next to the wall for just a moment. The idiot doctor wasn’t going to rest until he had her head on a platter. She’d been right, him wrong, and his huge ego couldn’t deal with the fact.
He was heading to her supervisor with a list of grievances against her. She may not have a job by the end of the day. She didn’t care. It would be worth it if Joseph pulled through.
After a few seconds, she lifted her head, squared her shoulders and decided she wasn’t going to be a victim. The new doctor could try and get her fired, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. If he wanted to throw out accusations, then she’d be there to defend herself.
With fire burning in her eyes, she took a step toward the corridor. Before she could get far, a man’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“Looks like you’re having problems.”
Kinsey stopped with her foot still in the air. She slowly turned her head and came face to face with Austin. She knew he’d be at the hospital. After all, his father and uncle were both here, but she’d really hoped to avoid him. She desperately worked to compose her features, not wanting him to know how his presence affected her.
She never had one night stands.
Never!
For some reason, though, she hadn’t been able to resist him at her best friend's wedding. He’d been suave, romantic, and funny - the perfect guy. Knowing she’d made a mistake the second she awoke the next morning, she’d slipped from his bed and ran as fast as she could. Regret nipping at her toes the entire way.
Each time she’d seen him since, her stomach fluttered and her body heated. She’d ended up coming close to a repeat performance of what had happened at Cassie’s wedding. She’d come to the family Christmas party at Cassie’s insistence, then practically made love to him on the Andersons balcony. After that incident, she knew she couldn’t trust herself to be alone with him without somehow losing articles of her clothes. He was no good for her, she knew that, but convincing her body was a whole other matter.
Leaning against the wall, looking as striking as ever, even in the blaring florescent lights of the hospital, he had her speechless. Her eyes traveled down his fitted shirt to the worn jeans covering his impressive build. A shudder traveled down her spine and her mouth filled with moisture.
She stiffened her knees to keep from sinking into a puddle at his feet and braced herself as she looked into his wintry blue eyes, where a sensual storm was brewing behind their gleaming surface.
“Hello, Austin.”
“Been a while.” The way he said the words was an accusation, not a statement.
“Could’ve been longer,” she quickly replied. He raised his brows and the corner of his lip quivered.
Kinsey immediately felt terrible that she was snapping at him, considering his family was admitted in the hospital. What kind of person acts that way?
“I’m sorry about your family, Austin. Our staff is doing a wonderful job with them,” she said, making sure her tone stayed professional.
“Thank you,” he murmured, worry infusing his eyes until she saw him visibly push it back. It seemed he was refusing to focus on what he couldn’t control. She’d seen the same thing with many of her patients’ families.
“How have you been, Kinsey?”
There was no way she was going there with him.
“I have work to do,” she said, turning to leave. His hand snaked out and gripped her arm. He applied just enough pressure to let her know he wasn’t planning on letting go anytime soon, but not so much that it hurt.
Kinsey had to fight her body’s desire to lean into his touch as her memory played full color in her head of that same hand sliding across her skin, making her moan in pleasure. She could tell by the way he was gazing at her that he wanted to cart her to the nearest room, giving her a repeat performance of their night together. How she’d love to accept his unspoken offer. Let him take away her stress, causing the awful day to fade away while she lost herself in his embrace.
Why not?
Because you aren’t this girl he thinks you are! You don’t do one night stands, well, you don’t do them twice, she assured herself.
“Surely you have time for an old lover.”
Kinsey gasped at his boldness. She looked around, hoping no one was listening. Luckily, they were semi-alone at the moment.
“A one night stand doesn’t make us old lovers, Austin.”
“It could be so much more than one night. You look stressed. I can help with that,” he offered as his eyes darkened. Her nipples hardened to the point of pain, and her stomach began doing flips. Luckily her knees were still locked.
She knew he wasn’t a commitment kind of guy, though. He’d made that abundantly clear at the wedding. She’d known then that he only wanted a romp in the sheets. She’d been proud of the fact that she’d been able to resist him. Well, she had until about the fourth, or maybe sixth, Manhattan drink.